June 15, 2020 – Showa Denko (SDK; TSE:4004) expanded production lines to produce vinyl ester resin (VE) and synthetic resin emulsion (EM) in the premises of Shanghai Showa Highpolymer Co., Ltd. (SSHP), a Chinese subsidiary of SDK, and has increased production of VE and EM there, aiming to expand the Showa Denko Group’s functional resin business in China.
The market for electronic parts such as liquid crystal displays (LCDs) and touch panels has been expanding due to the progress in telecommunication technologies including 5th Generation mobile communication system. As a result, the demand for VE, which is used in the process to produce electronic parts including LCDs and touch panels, has been rapidly increasing in China. In addition, since VE has excellent corrosion resistance and chemical resistance, the demand for VE for use as corrosion-resistant inner lining material has also been increasing. This use includes inner lining for desulfurization equipment increasingly introduced to thermal power plants to prevent air pollution, wastewater treatment equipment for electronic parts factories, garbage plants and storage tanks for chemicals.
In China, regulation against volatile organic compound (VOC) as an environmental protection policy started in 2015, and, since then, there has been strict regulation for use of paints and adhesives containing organic solvents. As a result, switching over to aqueous paints and aqueous adhesives utilizing EM has been in progress, and therefore the demand for EM has been increasing. Responding to these movements, SHHP increased the capacities of its production lines to produce VE and EM to about twice as much as before.
The Showa Denko Group’s Vision is to make itself a “KOSEIHA Company” (a group of KOSEIHA Businesses that can maintain profitability and stability at high levels over a long period) and “a top-level functional chemical manufacturer in the world.” We will continue providing the growing Chinese market with products and services of high social value, thereby expanding our business in China and establishing our functional chemicals business as a KOSEIHA Business.
About Showa Denko K.K.
Showa Denko K.K. (SDK; TSE:4004, ADR:SHWDY) is a major manufacturer of chemical products serving from heavy industry to computers and electronics. The Petrochemicals Sector provides cracker products such as ethylene and propylene, the Chemicals Sector provides industrial, high-performance and high-purity gases and chemicals for semicon and other industries, the Inorganics Sector provides ceramic products, such as alumina, abrasives, refractory/ graphite electrodes and fine carbon products. The Aluminum Sector provides aluminum materials and high-value-added fabricated aluminum, the Electronics Sector provides HD media, compound semiconductors such as ultra high bright LEDs, and rare earth magnetic alloys, and the Advanced Battery Materials Department (ABM) provides lithium-ion battery components. For more information, please visit www.sdk.co.jp/english/.